Eli Lilly has announced it is launching a collaborative new education campaign with Breastcancer.org, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, For the Breast of Us and Susan G Komen breast cancer organisations.
In the US, it is expected that more than 290,650 women and 2,710 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022. Early stage breast cancer is often described as treatable and survivable by resources.
As a complex disease, breast cancer has many factors which can influence the potential for cancer to return or spread. Despite this, very few resources exist to aid breast cancer patients in understanding the potential risk factors.
Senior medical director of Lilly Oncology, Stacy Moulder said: “This initiative provides patients with comprehensive information on the factors that may affect the risk of breast cancer recurrence. Lilly’s collaboration with advocacy organisations, each of which play a vital role in the breast cancer community, will drive the conversation about the risk of breast cancer recurrence further and enable patients to have more informed, proactive discussions with their doctors.”
The campaign formed by the collaboration focuses on educating, supporting and empowering people diagnosed with early breast cancer, a disease with a high risk of recurrence. Most people are at some risk level of recurrence and understanding individual risk factors is vital.
The new initiative is focused on patients diagnosed with the most common subtype of early stage breast cancer – hormone receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-). As part of the campaign, educational materials and resources specifically produced for people with HR+, HER2- EBC and their care partners will be provided to promote a better understanding of the complexity of the disease and the risk of recurrence.
“Too often, the risk of breast cancer coming back or progressing to metastatic disease is not part of the care team discussion as people navigate diagnosis, treatment and care. We believe patients benefit from open conversations about breast cancer recurrence,” said Jean Sachs, CEO, Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC).
The resources produced by the campaign feature a patient conversation guide, a digital fact sheet and infographic, all of which give insight into typical characteristics associated with an increased risk of breast cancer recurrence. It also provides tools in planning treatment options with a care team.